The Greatest Risk is Not Taking One
by jamko4ever
Summary: How do Jamie and Eddie realize what they are denying themselves every day? Set after episode 8x13 (Feb. 2nd, 2018), "during Olympic break" Do not own #Jamko but might as well write their life story [Suggestions welcome; in for the long haul; will try to update regularly as life and creativity allow; potentially mature content to be included in future chapters]
1. Chapter 1

"Did you see that Budweiser commercial last night during the Super Bowl?" Officer Jamie Reagan asked his partner Eddie Janko over their lunch break.

He was eating a taco salad as she was putting away a steak burrito per usual. Eddie had parked their RMP on a normally busy two-lane side street in front of a small Mexican restaurant that Jamie loved in return for letting his speed-demon partner drive.

"Of course. They always make me cry but are must-see TV," Eddie replied. "I am still shocked by that result last night. Can't believe the Eagles actually pulled that off."

Jamie had watched the game with his whole family at Frank and Henry's house after another one of their famous Sunday dinners (as Jets fans, they were pleased that the Patriots were denied another championship); Eddie had gotten together with a few other cops from the 12th precinct at a sports bar.

Jamie was about to expound upon the surprising finish when a car in the oncoming lane whizzed by as bullets smashed through the windshield and driver's side window.

As Jamie assessed the situation, he was jarred to see his partner trying to put pressure on a wound to her left shoulder, "Eddie? …Eddie!" Jamie frantically tried to clear the glass off himself and his partner, not caring how many cuts he endured to aid his surprisingly calm partner.

"Jamie?" Eddie sighed as she made eye contact with her partner, nudging toward his radio.

Jamie took a deep breath and immediately put a 10-13 call over the air requesting a bus and additional units. Jamie was leaning over the center console to help apply pressure on the wound and keep Eddie awake and talking until the ambulance arrived.

As soon as Central responded and units started calling over the air, the weight of the situation hit Jamie like a punch to the gut. The only thought on his mind: he cannot lose another partner, especially not Eddie. She's his partner in crime fighting (literally), his best friend, and clearly his soulmate.

He let his emotions get the best of him as tears started streaming down his face. "I'm going to be fine, Jamie," Eddie tried to reassure him between hisses of pain, but Jamie remained unconvinced. As Jamie wiped away his tears before the bus and backup arrived, Eddie surprised him by plainly confessing, "I love you, Jamie."

Jamie was stunned to hear this revelation such that he was rendered speechless. As Jamie tried to process her words and formulate a response, the ambulance and backup units arrived. Eddie was whisked from the RMP by EMTs onto a gurney to be rushed to the hospital.

Jamie was prompted out of the car to be assessed by another EMT, but it took a loud snap in front of his face to get him to return to reality.

* * *

By the time Jamie sat on a gurney to be evaluated and have the abrasions from the glass cutting his hands treated, Detective Danny Reagan was trying to push through the crowds of people to check on his younger brother. When Danny finally reached the back of the remaining ambulance, he was glad to see that Jamie was physically okay but distressed to see him yelling at the EMTs that he's fine and just wants to get to the hospital to be with his partner.

Danny put a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder to try and calm him down because he unfortunately had some idea of what he was going through right now. Jamie was shocked to see his brother at his side; he and his partner Maria Baez must have been next in line to catch a major case.

Danny tried to get Jamie to focus on what had happened, but his efforts were futile because Jamie was too worried about the state of his partner. Jamie snapped at his older brother, "I'm not answering any damn questions until I'm at the hospital with Eddie."

Danny simply nodded and told the EMTs that he would drive him to the hospital to hopefully calm him down, get checked out, and answer his questions about what happened. Danny walked with a supportive arm around his brother's shoulders toward the unmarked police car that Baez had parked beyond the crime scene tape.

As Danny opened the back door for Jamie to slide in, Baez greeted the younger Reagan, "Hey Jamie, how are you holding up?"

Met with radio silence, Danny slid in next to his brother and gave his partner a knowing look; Jamie was still entranced from Eddie saying, "I love you," under those circumstances.

Baez started the luckily quick drive over to St. Victor's Hospital. She could barely put her foot on the brakes before Jamie jumped out of the car to find his partner. Danny yelled after Jamie then simply shook his head because there was nothing he could do to get through to him.

* * *

As Jamie barged through the doors into the emergency room, he froze as Police Commissioner Frank Reagan stood in his way. His father flatly said, "She's being prepped for surgery, but she is 'not likely.' Just seems to be some muscle damage." Jamie audibly released a heavy sigh that he must've been holding in since the bullets crashed through the glass.

Danny finally caught up to his younger brother and shared a look of concern with their father. Frank told them that he needed to meet with his Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Garrett Moore and Chief of Department Sid Gormley then speak to the press about the incident and Eddie's condition, so he left his sons to discuss what Jamie witnessed.

Danny started to ask his first question as Baez and Assistant District Attorney Erin Reagan entered the waiting room. Erin rushed to hug Jamie, relieved to see her younger brother wasn't physically harmed. After liberating him from her firm embrace, she retreated and spoke concerningly, "I'm so glad that you are okay. I am so sorry about Eddie though. How is she?"

Danny told their sister that Eddie was in surgery. Hearing those words again, Jamie made an awful realization: it should be him on the operating table. If only he had been driving, his family and Eddie would be worried, but he could deal with the pain and recovery. It was so much harder to know that Eddie was in pain and probably scared while they were waiting for the ambulance, but she handled it like a champ and stayed stoic even revealing her true love for him before being whisked away.

By the time Jamie returned to reality, Erin was hugging her older brother goodbye as her lunch break was coming to an end. Erin turned to Jamie to give him another supportive embrace, then she whispered reassuringly, "Everything will be okay."

When their sister left, Danny guided Jamie to an empty seat to wait for an update on Eddie and try to get him to unwind. After the detectives gave Jamie a few minutes to clear his mind and jog his memory, he was finally able to focus and explain what he saw: "We were parked on a side street eating lunch near one of our usual spots when a car from the opposite lane raced by, and bullets came flying through the windshield and Eddie's window. I was in the passenger seat and the car parked in front of us obstructed my view, so I did not get a good look at the car or the people inside. When I realized what had happened, I cleared away the glass and food and helped Eddie put pressure on her wound."

Anguish fell across Jamie's face as he recalled the traumatic sequence of events; he took a deep breath as Eddie's admission replayed in his mind. Jamie sighed as he continued, "Next thing I knew, Eddie was being rushed to the hospital. Sorry. I know that this isn't very helpful, but my view was blocked and it happened so fast."

Danny and Baez reassured him that his account was useful, but both knew that they would need surveillance video or some other evidence to make any headway on this case. As the detectives were about to return to the crime scene, former Police Commissioner Henry Reagan walked into the emergency room to support his youngest grandson.

Before leaving, Danny squeezed Jamie's shoulder and told him, "I promise we will get these guys." Baez echoed her partner's sentiments, "Hang in there, Jamie."

As Henry sat down next to Jamie and rested a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, a surgeon came into the waiting room and announced Eddie's name.

Jamie shot up and ran across the waiting room, focused on keeping his voice steady: "I'm her partner. How is she? Can I see her?"

The doctor replied, "She is doing fine. We confirmed the initial evaluation: no major arteries were hit, but there is some significant muscle damage. She is very lucky though. She is in recovery in stable condition but still asleep. I can bring you to see her now."

As he nodded toward the surgeon, a weak smile returned to Jamie's face; when he turned to Henry for reassurance, his grandfather was grinning as he motioned for him to go and be with his partner.

* * *

Jamie followed the doctor to Eddie's room. She looked so peaceful in the hospital bed with her eyes closed. Her left arm was in a sling with her shoulder heavily bandaged. She had a few cuts on her face and hands from the glass; luckily it was painfully cold outside, so she was wearing her thick NYPD coat that managed to minimize the damage from the glass shards.

He walked over to the chair near the window and moved it closer to the side of her bed, so he could hold her hand and wait for her to wake up. He gently squeezed her hand and began to whisper to her as if she could hear him. "Janko, I am so sorry that it is you laying in this hospital bed and not me. I am so glad that you are okay though; I have no clue what I would have done if I had lost another partner, especially you."

His eyes started to water as his tears returned. He continued with his voice shaking, "You are the only reason I could get through what happened to Vinny. I was only partnered with him for a year though, and we never developed the friendship or chemistry that you and I share. I wish I had been able to respond to you before they rushed you here for surgery, but I clearly was still in shock and could not process anything. I do not know if I would have been able to stay that calm, but you have dealt with so much in your life that I should not be surprised."

He was now overcome with tears, wiping them from his face. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Eddie. I know I did not say it before, but I love you. I truly love you, Edit Marie Janko. We always agreed that we wanted to keep our relationship professional, but you make that so damn hard. You make it nearly impossible for me to uphold my Boy Scout reputation, but if I was going to break the rules, it would be for you. I cannot imagine doing this job without you, but I obviously did not protect you today, which has been my main motivation to not ask for a new partner besides spending so much time with you."

He was finally able to laugh a little, "I will do anything for you, Janko. I need you in my life, and I am not willing to let this job restrain me from my soulmate. Your fortune said that 'the greatest risk is not taking one.' Well, I am taking the risk of ending our partnership to become your life partner. I have never been surer of anything. Please, wake up. I need to see those deep blue eyes of yours."

Jamie was still holding Eddie's hand as he started to doze off. About an hour later, Eddie began to stir from her slumber. Jamie immediately shook awake when Eddie removed her hand from his grasp; he eagerly awaited at the edge of her bed for her eyes to open.


	2. Chapter 2

When Eddie's eyes opened, she felt disoriented in her hospital room, but then she met Jamie's eyes and immediately felt reassured.

"Hey, Eddie," Jamie whispered softly. "How do you feel?"

Eddie took a second to get her bearings before answering in a raspy voice, "Like I've been shot." A smirk fell across her face, and Jamie knew she was going to be alright. "What happened?"

Jamie was caught off-guard by the question considering how calm she had been in their RMP. He wondered if she remembered saying, "I love you," but that conversation could wait.

"It was a drive-by while we were eating lunch. They shot through the windshield and your window. You got hit in the shoulder obviously, but you just have some muscle damage apparently. I'm glad they were not a good shot," Jamie admitted. He tried to move past that last statement by abruptly adding, "Danny and Baez caught the case and are already working to find out who did this."

Eddie was still trying to put the pieces together, then her memory started to return as Jamie filled in the blanks. She began to replay the moments after the incident in her head, but she could not recall the last thing she said to Jamie before the ambulance arrived. She was sure it would eventually come back to her, probably after she ate some food.

Jamie was glad she was not ribbing him about that slight admission of feelings, so he continued when Eddie met his eyes again. Smirking at his partner, "You're probably really hungry. We didn't get to finish our meals, your favorite thing." He hoped she'd respond with her usual snarky comeback, but when she appeared distracted, he simply added, "I'll go find a nurse and see if you can eat now."

Eddie could only muster, "Thank you." She was sincere but became disheartened when he just silently turned and left with sulking shoulders.

Now she was left alone with her thoughts; she desperately needed to figure out what she said in the RMP and maybe that would explain why Jamie left the way he did.

'Come on, Eddie. Think!' Eddie implored her brain to untangle itself before Jamie returned with some food, hopefully not just ice chips. Her stomach growled, and then it hit her. She admitted her true love to her soulmate while in shock, supposedly in case she wouldn't make it through this ordeal.

She sat there frozen, pondering how Jamie must feel about her revelation. He should not be that surprised considering they had talked about their feelings over a year ago at his apartment before she kissed him again and clearly left him wanting more.

'I guess the moment that I told him was not ideal. I mean he was crying, clearly overwhelmed by the moment.' Eddie stayed lost in her thoughts, hoping Jamie would be by her side again soon.

* * *

Luckily for Jamie, Eddie did not hear his lengthy confession to her while she was still asleep after the surgery. As he wandered the halls of the hospital looking for a nurse, Jamie was still caught up in his thoughts as he contemplated whether he should ask Eddie about what she said or not.

He was finally able to find a nurse and get back to the task at hand. "Hello, I'm the partner of Officer Janko. I was wondering if she could get something to eat."

The nurse replied, "Sure, I will order a meal to be delivered to her room. It should be there within the hour."

Jamie knew that that would be too long for Eddie, and he was starting to get hungry too. He asked, "Is there any way I could go to the cafeteria and get us food? We never finished lunch."

The nurse simply nodded. She told him where to go and recommended a meal that would not upset Eddie's stomach so soon after surgery. Jamie barely let her finish talking before he was off to complete his mission. By the time he reached the cafeteria, he realized just how hungry he was. Their lunch break started around noon; it was now nearing 5pm.

Jamie approached the counter and asked for three ham & cheese sandwiches, two bottled waters and a soda, two bags of potato chips, and two cups of green Jell-O. He waited for the food by the register, paid for the order, and took the tray back to Eddie's room.

When he exited the stairwell onto Eddie's floor, Jamie realized he needed to decide if he was going to address the elephant in the room. Walking down the hallway toward her room, he took a deep breath and gathered the courage to face the love of his life. He determined he would address the issue when the moment felt right.

As he cracked the door open leading with the tray of food, Jamie greeted Eddie but was surprised to see his father and Lieutenant Gormley at the foot of Eddie's bed.

Jamie walked to the side of Eddie's bed and placed the tray on the table in front of Eddie. He then saluted his father and the lieutenant until his father prompted him to relax.

Gormley addressed Eddie, "Good to see you are feeling okay, Officer Janko. I wish you a speedy recovery. If there's anything you need, just let Officer Reagan know. One PP will help you in any way we can, and I am sure Detectives Reagan and Baez will find who did this to you soon enough." The lieutenant left the room, so the commissioner could speak to his son and his partner.

Frank echoed Lieutenant Gormley's sentiments to Officer Janko before leaving her to start eating some much-needed food. As he was about to leave, he motioned for Jamie to follow him out into the hallway.

Jamie nodded to his father, then gave a quick glance toward Eddie to get her to consume some of the food in front of her.

* * *

Once outside the door, the commissioner patted his son supportively on the shoulder. Frank hesitantly admitted that he was relieved it was not his youngest laying in that hospital bed, but he knew Jamie must be struggling with the fact that he almost lost another partner only hours ago.

Jamie asked Frank how long he had been in Eddie's room and if Danny had made any headway on the case, and his father replied, "No more than 5 minutes, just wanted see how your partner was doing and if there was anything she needed right now. I updated her on what I heard from Danny: they are only scratching the surface but hope to get some surveillance video from the block to get the license plate or possibly a face."

Jamie simply nodded, wanting desperately to get back to Eddie before she ate the entire tray of food. Frank intuitively knew that his son was having a hard time processing this situation, especially considering how close their partnership had become over the last few years. Jamie hugged his father and thanked him for checking up on them then returned to his partner's bedside.

When he re-entered the room, Eddie was quietly nibbling on one of the sandwiches he left for her, but Jamie was shocked to see that she had not touched anything else yet.

"Hey, thanks for the food, Reagan," Eddie greeted her partner between bites.

Jamie responded as he sat down in the chair, "No problem. I went to get it myself because they were backed up, and I'm sure whatever they brought up would not be fulfilling for you."

A playful smirk returned to Eddie's face. Jamie was relieved to see a familiar expression cross his partner's face. Eddie quietly passed her partner a sandwich and bottle of water then added, "Here. You must be starving too."

Jamie chuckled a little and replied, "You're right, but I was not shot and do not have the appetite and metabolism of an Olympic swimmer."

He finally accomplished his goal: getting Eddie to truly relax and laugh a little. It was not the usual Eddie Janko outburst, but it was enough to satisfy him for the moment especially since she could hurt herself if she completely let go.

They ate their sandwiches silently for a few minutes before Eddie picked up a bag of chips and started crunching obnoxiously. Jamie gave her a side-eyed smirk, glad to see that she felt good enough to push his buttons again.

Jamie simply grabbed a cup of Jell-O from the tray and lifted the lid while sneaking a quick glance at his smart and beautiful partner. When Eddie stopped crunching the chips in her mouth, Jamie looked up to meet her eyes, which were welling up. With her voice shaking, she conceded, "I'm sorry. I don't know why, but everything just hit me."

Jamie leaned over and lifted Eddie's hand to lace her fingers into his. He said softly, "Eddie, it's okay. Let it out. You are the strongest person I know. I will be by your side as long as you want me to. I will do anything you need me to." Jamie was now overcome by the moment too with his eyes watering, but he decided to show how much she meant to him by placing on soft kiss on her cheek.


	3. Chapter 3

Eddie's cheek blushed underneath Jamie's lips. She desperately wanted to savor the feeling of a genuine, endearing kiss from her brave and handsome partner. She wanted it to last forever but knew it had to come to an end.

As Jamie reluctantly ended the kiss, he maintained eye contact and used his free hand to wipe her remaining tears away. Eddie reciprocated the gesture and seriously considered reaffirming her love for him, but a nurse knocked on the door and came in to check on the wounded officer. Jamie sat back in his chair as the nurse approached the bed to introduce herself.

"Hello, Officer Janko. My name is Beth. I will be taking care of you tonight. Let me know if there is anything I can get you. I just need to check your vitals right now, but I will examine your dressings when I come back in a few hours." The nurse made some notes on the chart next to Eddie's bed and made sure the patient was comfortable before leaving the duo alone again.

Eddie realized that her phone was probably blowing up, so she asked her partner to grab it from her pants pocket. Jamie found it without a problem and handed it to her. Eddie realized that it was approaching 8pm and immediately became worried about when Jamie was going to leave her alone in this giant room.

Jamie saw the anxious look grow across Eddie's face and gently asked, "What's wrong, Janko?"

Eddie took her time to form a response that would not sound desperate. As she pondered, Jamie stood up from his chair and sat on the edge of her bed. Eddie leaned forward a bit, so he could put his arm around her waist and she could lean her head against his shoulder.

Eddie finally gathered the courage to respond, "Do you think you could stay here tonight?"

Jamie gave her abdomen a reassuring squeeze followed by a simple "Sure."

It took everything she had to keep her composure, but she let her guard down again. "I need you," she paused for a moment before continuing, "You're the only person who is always there for me. I don't know what I would do without you."

Jamie leaned in to place a soft kiss on her temple then reaffirmed his commitment, "I'm not going anywhere. Close your eyes and rest your mind. You must be exhausted."

Eddie sniffled a bit then mustered a shaky "Thank you," before heeding his suggestion, closing her eyes and letting her head snuggle into the crook of his neck. As she dozed off secure against Jamie's body, only one emotion flooded her tired mind: hope. She hoped that her soulmate would never willfully let go from this embrace.

A few minutes later, Jamie felt Eddie calm into a deep sleep and observed her chest slowly rise and fall with each breath. Before he permitted the fatigue to overtake his body, he forced himself to absorb as much as he could of this idyllic moment. Once he knew she would not stir for a while, he let his eyes close to rest after a hectic and overwhelming day. As he drifted off with his arms encircling the love of his life, Jamie was optimistic this would become a faithful habit of their future together.

* * *

After stopping at home to make sure his sons Jack and Sean did their homework and change into more casual clothes, Danny made his way over to St. Victor's just after 10pm to interview Eddie about the incident and see how she and his younger brother were holding up. As he was about to open the door to Eddie's hospital room, he snuck a peek into the adjacent skinny window and felt his left eyebrow arch subconsciously at the scene before his eyes.

His 'kid brother' and his partner looked like cranes with their necks intertwined as Eddie's head leaned on Jamie's shoulder and his head was supported by hers. Jamie also had his arm wrapped around her waist, supposedly to keep him from falling off the edge of the bed as they were finally able to get some well-deserved rest.

Deciding to not disturb their peaceful embrace for the moment, Danny pulled his phone out of his pocket to call the only person in the family that knew more about this budding couple than him.

After a few rings, the call connected but the recipient sounded sleepy. "Hey Danny. What's up?"

Danny replied, "Hey sis. Long day at the office?"

Erin explained, "You could say that, and the incident today certainly did not help. My mind immediately jumped to the worst; even after seeing Jamie was alright, Joe weighed on my mind the rest of the day. As tough as it was for us in those uncertain moments, Jamie probably feels like he traveled to hell and back today; he really cares about Eddie even if he won't openly admit it."

"That's actually why I called. I came by the hospital to interview Eddie but I am standing outside her room right now, and they look like two loving and inseparable peas in a pod asleep in her bed," Danny described the intimate scene before adding, "I don't want to be the one to wake them because Jamie would probably kill me."

Erin sighed, "Honestly, I'm not surprised. He has been internalizing his feelings for her for over 3 years now. It was only a matter of time before he conceded, considering they are always together. Although Jamie is the most reserved person I know, he must have been mentally beating himself up all afternoon and gave in to the fatigue that allowed his raw emotions to break free."

Danny took another glance through the window as his sister rationalized their younger brother's behavior; he began to tear up as dear memories of his late wife Linda flooded his mind. He paused for a moment to compose himself and gather his thoughts. He confessed, "I've never seen Jamie like this before. Not even with (his ex-fiancée) Sydney." He paused again as he fought to keep his emotions in check before continuing, "I'm glad he has found somebody that makes him genuinely happy, but they can't stay partners if they want to explore this further. I mean if Dad or some other boss saw them like this, they would be split up, if not transferred, faster than you can say 'Commissioner'."

"I know, but I'm not sure if they are ready for that drastic shake-up while they process this traumatic experience. I mean Jamie already had one partner die in his arms; there has to be some way they can test this out before making that life-changing decision," Erin trailed off as an ingenious idea popped into her head. "I think I know how we can make this work and let nature take its course."

"How the hell do you plan to get that to happen without causing trouble for them? You don't think Dad will see right through it?" Danny seriously questioned how she was scheming to solve this dilemma.

Erin began to expound upon her proposal, "Eddie is probably going to be sidelined for at least a couple weeks; when she returns, she'll be limited to desk duty, right? Jamie likely won't be partnered with her for at least a month depending on how fast her injury heals, so they wouldn't be breaking the rules technically. This way, they can test the waters of a true relationship before breaking up their partnership."

"Okay, that's reasonable and logical, but there's one problem. How do we get Jamie to even consider that possibility? Unless you and Jamie have a telepathic connection that I don't know about, I can't imagine he would devise a dubious strategy like that to circumvent the rules," Danny implored.

"Well that's where you and I come in," Erin confessed.

Danny was stunned, "Wait, what are you talking about, Erin? How are we involved?"

As Erin was about to explain his role, Danny was distracted by a nurse walking down the hallway toward Eddie's room. He panicked and cut her off, "Sorry sis, I gotta go. A nurse is coming to check on Eddie, and I don't want the lovebirds to get suspicious. I will call you tomorrow to discuss this further."

Erin simply replied, "Alright. Have a good night."

Before the nurse could open the door to Eddie's room to wake the sleeping partners, Danny walked to the end of the hallway to wait for the nurse to leave.

* * *

Jamie's eyelids fluttered open in response to a cold hand patting his forearm. It took him a minute to get his bearings; his other arm was still around Eddie's waist, while her head was still perched on his shoulder. Jamie finally focused on the blurry figure at the foot of the hospital bed.

"Sorry to disturb you, sir. I was hoping you could kindly help me by lightly waking Officer Janko, so I can check her dressings and make sure she is comfortable to be able to sleep through the night," Beth explained.

Jamie simply nodded as the nurse walked over to the monitors on the other side of her bed to jot down additional notes while he woke his partner. He gently loosened his grip around Eddie's torso so he could unwrap his arm, then he turned his attention to steadying her head against the pillows instead of his shoulder.

As he disentangled himself, he was surprised that she did not shudder awake since he had been supporting her upper body considerably. He rose from his spot on the edge of her bed and focused on her free hand that had been precariously resting on her lap; as he ascended, her hand had fallen into the valley that his lower body had created and laid there with her fingers slightly bent and her palm facing the ceiling. He softly grasped her hand and squeezed; she began to stir from her slumber in response to Jamie's touch.

Jamie stood next to her bed until she could focus and make eye contact with him, hoping that seeing a familiar face would ease any sudden reactions that may tug at her injured shoulder. When her gaze ultimately met his, his small grin grew to a wide smile; he was certain that those baby blue eyes had put a spell on him when they first met because they mesmerized him each time she stared at him.


	4. Chapter 4

'Breathe in. Breathe out.' Jamie had to consciously remind himself as he was awestruck by the shimmering light in his wounded partner's eyes.

"Hey Eddie, are you feeling any better?" Jamie managed to ask.

Eddie groaned as she shifted into a more comfortable position then answered, "Yeah, the medicine seems to be doing the trick. My shoulder just feels sore now."

Jamie sat down in the chair next to her bed, still meeting her eyes and holding her hand. Beth wrote down a few more comments in the file before turning her attention to Eddie's physical condition, "Let me know if anything hurts or feels uncomfortable."

Jamie softly squeezed Eddie's hand to prompt her to return the favor if the pain became too much. The nurse began to gently prod around her shoulder; Eddie slightly grimaced and quietly hissed a few times but did not crush his hand as anticipated, which suggested that she was not in excruciating pain anymore.

When Beth finished her inspection of Eddie's shoulder and her bandages, she added some comments to the log near the monitors, then she offered, "I'll be back in a few minutes with the doctor." Eddie and Jamie merely nodded as the nurse left the room.

In the interim, they anxiously sat in silence as he began to rub the back of her free hand with his thumb, hoping to soothe her and keep himself grounded. He used his other hand to brush a strand of blonde hair from her forehead. It had been bothering her since it fell out of her messy ponytail when she woke up minutes earlier.

There was a knock on the door, so Eddie gazed at Jamie then removed her hand from his grasp. Two people entered the room: Beth and presumably the doctor; he was African-American, middle-aged, about 6 feet tall, and in decent shape.

As the doctor approached Eddie's bed, Jamie stood up from his chair. The man introduced himself, "Hello, I'm Doctor Hamilton. I performed Officer Janko's surgery."

As Jamie shook his hand, he responded, "Good evening, Doctor. I'm Eddie's partner, Jamie. Thank you for taking care of her today." Eddie happily glanced toward Jamie then expressed her gratitude as well.

Jamie returned to his seat as Dr. Hamilton quickly examined the wrap around Eddie's shoulder then reviewed the charts that Beth handed him. After a few minutes, the doctor looked up from the records to address the partners, "Well, Officer Janko, you seem to be healing remarkably well; your pain is being adequately managed and the wound is not leaking appreciably, which are the main benchmarks we must observe before we discharge you. So, if your status does not deteriorate and you don't feel worse tomorrow, then we could potentially discharge you as soon as tomorrow night; however, you will need someone to stay with you at least until your stitches are removed, but preferably until you're out of the sling."

The partners smiled gratefully and thanked the medical professionals then made eye contact for a fleeting moment before returning their focus to the doctor and nurse. Dr. Hamilton and Beth advised the duo to get some rest prior to leaving the cops alone again.

As soon as the room was empty, Jamie sat facing his partner on the edge of her bed again; they immediately engaged in a staring contest as if they could dive into each other's souls. Eddie was stoic like she had been in the patrol car earlier in the day, while Jamie gave her a calculated yet playful smirk. She knew his expression was a deliberately weak attempt to conceal his obvious scheme.

Losing the eye contact battle but hopeful to win the ongoing war, Eddie averted her gaze and whined, "Shut up!"

Jamie's eyes widened as he pretended to be shocked, "What did I do now?" Eddie leaned forward and merely tilted her head with a 'You've gotta be kidding me?' expression across her face.

Without getting into the details of his plan, Jamie conceded, "Come on, Eddie. You wanna get out of here, right?"

Eddie rolled her eyes and groaned as she caved in to his request, "Fine, Reagan; but I need to get some stuff from my place first." Secretly, she was hoping he would offer to let her stay in his apartment while she recovered, but she put up a fight to not give him the immediate satisfaction or sound desperate.

Jamie grinned from ear to ear in response to her surrender, which Eddie swiftly countered with a lighthearted slap to his leg. Unable to control themselves, Jamie chuckled causing Eddie to crack a tiny smile. They were so consumed in their teasing crusades that neither noticed that Danny was peeking in the window next to the door. Danny let a content smirk cross his face as he knocked on the door. He waited a second before entering.

When the partners heard the thumps coming from behind Jamie, their eyes widened apprehensively as she instantaneously sank back into the pillows while he instinctively stood up straight, turned toward the door, and retreated from the bed.

As Danny opened the door and came into the room, Jamie and Eddie simultaneously exhaled in relief because he was one of the few people that would not bust them for their current uninhibited affection toward each other; although, Jamie still felt uneasy since he was not sure how much Danny saw and knew that his older brother would probably grill him about it later.

* * *

With a suspecting smirk, Danny approached the foot of Eddie's bed as Jamie returned to his chair next to her. The partners shared a brief, suspicious look before reverting their gaze back to his older brother.

When he had their attention again, Danny tried to ease the tension with his greeting, "Good evening, officers." The cops allowed small grins to cross their face followed by mutual giggles. The detective continued, "First off, how are you doing, Eddie?"

Eddie answered, "I'm alright. My shoulder is just sore, and the wound is not seeping through the wrap. Doctor said I can leave tomorrow night if my condition does not regress." Jamie put a supportive hand on her healthy shoulder, causing the partners to genuinely grin about her speedy healing.

"Well, that's great to hear," Danny paused halfheartedly, "I wish I could say we were making that much progress on the case, so I'm here to see if either of you have more information that could help us."

Jamie and Eddie's body language immediately fell from upbeat to discouraged when Danny explained the situation. Jamie broke the heavy and pessimistic silence, "Do you have any leads?" He then gently squeezed Eddie's shoulder to reassure her.

Danny replied despondently, "No, nothing. We are nowhere, absolutely no headway. No surveillance video with a street view. No witnesses coming forward. No potentially related or suspicious reports in your precinct or surrounding ones. We are really grasping at straws right now, so if you two have anything you can remember about what happened it could make a huge difference."

The duo wracked their brains for a moment; Jamie simply shook his head, indicating he had nothing to add to his earlier statement. After a few seconds, Eddie was able to speak about her perspective of the incident for the first time, "We were talking about the Super Bowl while eating lunch, then I heard a car speeding up the block. I was barely able to lift my head before the shots rang out, but I caught a glimpse of the car out of the corner of my eye." Both Eddie and Jamie's eyes became glossy as she recalled the harrowing moments earlier that day; Jamie's guilt returned as she described her instinctive actions prior to the shooting.

Eddie continued tentatively, "I think it was a black sedan, if not black then very dark. Obviously, there were at least two people in the car: the driver with the shooter in the seat behind them. I didn't see any faces since it happened so fast, but I assume I had a better view than Jamie because I was in the driver's seat." Jamie squeezed her shoulder again soothingly, hoping they would be able to keep their composure at least until his older brother left.

Danny sincerely attempted to restore their confidence, "That's much more detailed than what Jamie offered this afternoon. We should be able to get somewhere even with just a cursory description of the vehicle; Baez and I will start to look into it more early tomorrow morning, but you both should know that we will do everything we can to get the guys who did this as soon as possible." A fresh question popped into Danny's mind, "Is there any chance this wasn't random? Neither of you have any ongoing feuds or enemies you're fighting with, right? On or off the job?"

Looking at each other, the partners considered the possibility for a second then both shook their heads refuting that theory. Jamie verbalized their thoughts, "No way. Anyone we have had a real beef with is on the job, but none of them were serious enough to warrant shooting at us."

"Alright. Well, if you think of anything else, let us know. It's getting late and we've all had a long day, so I'm gonna head home. Get some rest, you guys need it. Hope you feel even better tomorrow, Eddie. Good night to both of you," Danny bid farewell to the beat cops.

As Danny was leaving, he motioned toward his younger brother to join him in the hallway. When Danny turned and started walking toward the door, Jamie skeptically glanced toward Eddie for approval, but she just smirked and nodded. Jamie reluctantly followed his older brother out into the hallway.

* * *

Once the brothers stood outside the closed door to Eddie's room, Danny wanted to ask Jamie the harder questions that he was uncomfortable to do so in front of his younger brother's partner. Danny began with a straightforward one, "So how are you two holding up, honestly?"

Jamie rolled his eyes, "Are you serious, Danny? We're all running on fumes. I'm not really in the mood to dive into the details of the last several hours."

Danny grabbed his younger brother's shoulder and looked him directly in the eyes, "Come on, kid. I just wanna make sure you are leaning on each other to get through this and not dwelling on it too much. I'm not saying it's easy, but at least she is okay and improving physically. I don't need a play-by-play, but I want something to tell Dad or Erin or anybody else so they don't have to bother you too."

Jamie sighed and conceded what he could, "Other than her quick healing, everything else is tough. Eddie doesn't like being sidelined or dependent on others to do simple tasks. I hate seeing her like this and hearing how she lifted her head at the last second made me realize how lucky we are that it wasn't worse; but if I'm honest, it's even harder because it should be me in that hospital bed. We just recently started to rotate who drove, and of course now this happens." Jamie was shaking his head, hoping that he would wake up from this nightmare.

Recognizing the younger Reagan was really struggling and clearly needed some sleep after a tumultuous day, Danny finished his inquisition for now but still informed Jamie, "Alright, kid. Don't beat yourself up over this because it's not your fault. I'll let you get back to your partner, so you can get some shut-eye; however, I need to tell you this: Erin and I are getting lunch together at 12:30pm at the diner a few blocks from here, and you're invited so if you're coming, don't be late."

Jamie simply nodded to acknowledge his request, with the implication of 'be there or you're in trouble.' Danny gave his shoulder a reassuring pat and candidly told him, "Hey, everything will be fine. Just relax and take care of your partner." Jamie did not miss the fleeting smirk that crossed his older brother's face, but he would badger him about that later. The brothers parted after wishing each other good night; Jamie quietly opened the door once Danny entered the stairwell down the hall, eager to rejoin his partner for the night.

When he re-entered the room, Jamie quietly closed the door then discreetly turned his attention to his tranquil partner. Before he moved toward the bed and potentially woke her up, he took a moment to observe her body language to determine if she was honestly asleep or baiting him. Even though her eyes were shut, her chest was rising and falling as much as it would if she was truly asleep; taking note of another instance of her trademark trickery, he looks behind him to ensure the door is closed and no one is looking in the window.

Assured that the coast is clear, Jamie saunters over to the side of her bed; he pauses to watch her calm breathing then leans over and places a light kiss on top of her head. Amazingly, her hair still had the aroma of her lavender shampoo from her shower over 18 hours ago as the wall clock neared midnight. With Jamie's breath still lingering over her head, Eddie could not bear maintaining her charade for another second.

"Damn it, Reagan!" Eddie whined. Next thing he knew, Eddie had lifted her chin to crash her lips into his. As surprised as Jamie was that he elicited that response from his partner, he wasn't complaining about it one bit; smirking against her mouth, he wanted to nonverbally express that he knew she had been teasing him. In that moment, they both realized how much they truly needed each other and that everything was going to be just fine.


End file.
